Posts Categorized: Religion

Humans want to know answers and we yearn for comfort in an uncomfortable world. Answers to any question are fairly scarce and only point toward more questions. That’s why cults are so attractive. They give us clear answers and then cut us off from the well of more questions with the force of Authority. The faucet is blocked, the flicker of curiosity sated by clean lines of certainty’s illusion.

A growing number of former believers of Warren Jeff’s FLDS cult are either leaving, or being kicked out. While this internal bleed brings to light more of their shocking practices and conditions, and threatens the group’s ability to operate an insular government, it makes the remaining group more concentrated. The only ones who stay are the ones who are truly willing to do anything their self-proclaimed prophet Warren Jeffs instructs them to do, and the implications of that are terrifying because, as a culture, we’ve seen the results of this type of brainwashed blind devotion in Waco, Jonestown, and the Manson Family.

The concept of “The Force” in Star Wars seems to resonant universally. The idea of the force seems easy enough to understand when you’re in the midst of the delightful intergalactic ride full of non-stop action and satisfying scene wipes, but it gets a bit more nebulous the more you try to grasp it. What is The Force, really? And why do we respond so powerfully to it?

The word demon usually isn’t taken literally anymore, but even figuratively, wrestling with demons is a serious issue. We’re usually talking about intense personal struggles with mental health issues and addiction that are robbing us and our loved ones of our selves, our identities, our peace, and our happiness. Many, though, believe demons are literal spirits that can overtake our bodies, turning us, unwittingly into puppet-type monsters.